Darwin and Those Great Muslim
Scientists

On February 12, the world celebrated the 200th birth anniversary
of Charles Darwin, the great scientist, philosopher, and naturalist.
Darwin’s contribution to the understanding of the development of
biological species is crucial to the evolvement of modern genetics,
biology, and medicine. Darwin’s book, The Origin of Species, is
perhaps the most influential book in human history to understand how
the natural systems works, and demolishes the creationist worldview.

Darwin's theory is summarized in the Origin of Species as follows:

A struggle for existence inevitably follows from the high rate at
which all organic beings tend to increase. Every being, which during
its natural lifetime produces several eggs or seeds, must suffer
destruction during some period of its life, and during some season
or occasional year, otherwise on the principle of geometrical
increase, its number would quickly become so inordinately great that
no country could support the product. (The Origin of Species, pp.116–117)

… Can it, then, be thought improbable, seeing that variations
useful to man have undoubtedly occurred, that other variations
useful in some way to each being in the great and complex battle
of life, should sometimes occur in the course of thousands of
generations? If such do occur, can we doubt (remembering that many
more individuals are born than can possibly survive) that
individuals having any advantage, however slight, over others,
would have the best chance of surviving and of procreating their
kind? On the other hand, we may feel sure that any variation in
the least degree injurious would be rigidly destroyed. This
preservation of favourable variations and the rejection of
injurious variations, I call Natural Selection. (ibid pp. 130–131)

Many Islamic scientists of today, unable to refute the forceful
and convincing Darwin’s theory of natural selection and the
evolution of species, bite the reality and propound that Darwin’s
theory is, in fact, contained in the Qur’an. To support this
preposterous claim, they might cite a few verses from the Qur’an,
such as:

Allah made every living
being from water… 21:30

Allah sends the fertile
wind to cause the rain that makes the vegetation to grow... 15:22

Allah sends rain from the
sky for drinking water and for vegetation to grow... 16:10

Allah created every
living creature from water and some walk on four legs (like cattle);
Allah creates what He wills… 24:45

Allah sends wind as glad
tidings, and sends pure water from the sky… 25:48

Allah sends down rain
from the sky, and causes the spring to flow which causes the
vegetation to grow... 39:21

Allah sends down rain
from the sky for plants to grow and gives life to the dead land...
50:8 11

When a stream dries up,
only Allah can supply water… 67:30

Allah created us from
despicable water… 77:20

The water causes
vegetation to sprout… 78:15 16

Allah has sent water on
earth… 80:26

Allah converted some Jews
to monkeys and pigs… 2:65, 5:60, 7:166

In
other words these Islamists contend that Darwin’s concept of
‘Natural Selection’ is actually Allah’s law. Thus, we may conclude
that many Islamists consider that Darwin was actually following the
Qur’an: he is a Muslim. To bolster their claim, they may even cite
his portrait of later years (bearded in Islamic style) and his
private life, such as: Darwin’s marriage to his cousin sister, Emma
Wedgwood, and his ten children. All these acts of Darwin are acts of
sunna, according to Islam.

The interesting point is, whenever any
non Muslim personality discovers or theories anything which changes
the course of human history, these Islamists will immediately brand
that personality as a Muslim. In fact, they basically emulate the
Qur’an in making such claims. For example, the Qur’an claims that
the biblical prophets—namely, Abraham, Moses, Jonah, Elias,
Zachariya, Solomon, David, Jesus—were all Muslims. Allah even claims
that Alexander the Great (Zulkarnain, in the Qur’an) was a Muslim.

These Islamists will let us believe that, perhaps, we do not realise
that many scientific theories and discoveries are rooted in various
verses of the Qur’an. When scientists and inventors read such verses
they are startled with awe and admiration that the very foundations
of science and technology are embedded in Islamic Holy scriptures.
They are compelled to bow down their heads in submission to Islam!

Here are a few scientists and inventors who converted to Islam after
they found their inventions and discoveries mentioned in the Qur’an.
This list of inventions is at random, and not in chronological
order.

1. John Dalton (1755–1844), English Chemist. He
proposed the theory of Atoms (Dalton’s Law).

Verses 10:61, 34:3, 34:22 and 99:7–8 of the Qur’an talks about
atom (an atom’s weight of good deed). Obviously, John Dalton read
the Qur’an and became a Muslim.

2. James D. Watson (1928…) and Francis Crick (1916–2004),
American scientists. They constructed the first accurate model of
DNA structure.

Some Bangladeshi Muslim scientists discovered that the theory of
DNA actually lies in the Qur’an: in verses 13:4 (Allah has created
His signs in plants and vegetables), 16:66 (there are instructive
signs in cattle), 16:67 (there are also instructive signs in the
palm and vine); 20:54 (signs of Allah is in cattle pasture) and
23:21 (there are instructive examples in cattle).

3. Gregor Johann Mendel (1822–1884), Austrian Biologist. He
is the founder of genetics.

Muslims may claim that in verse 2:260, the Qur’an mentions the
cloning of birds (Abraham killed four birds, but they became alive
again); in verse 3:51 Allah talks about genetic fingerprint (Jesus
made a clay-bird and breathed life into it). Allah also implies
genetic theory in 4:1 (Allah created mankind from a single person).

He formulated the Universal Laws of Gravitation and discovered
the light spectrum amongst many other discoveries.

The Qur’an
talks of gravitation in 2:34, 7:11, 7:120–121 and 16:49 (when
Muslims prostrate to Allah they obey Allah’s law on gravitation).

There is a complete sura about theory of light (sura 24: Light),
while verse 4:174 and 5:15 talk about the light spectrum (Allah
has sent a light manifest).

5. Albert Einstein (1879–1955), Germany-born American
physicist and philosopher. He is the inventor of Theory of
Relativity and the Time Dilation Formula.

The Qur’an talks of theory of relativity and time dilation in
verses 32:5 (one Allah year = 1,000 human year) and 70:4 (one Allah
year = 50,000 human year). The Qur’an provides the principle of
relativity in verse 17:1 (Allah takes Muhammad for the night journey
from Kaba to Jerusalem (Isra), and then to the seven Heavens (Miraj)
to show Allah’s signs).

11. Rene’ Descartes (1596–1650), French philosopher and
mathematician. He is the inventor of the Cartesian co ordinate
system.

Allah talks of co ordinate system in verse 2:149-150 (Muslims
must face qibla), 2:142 (every nation has a qibla; to Allah belongs
the East and the West) and 2:144 (Allah changes the co ordinate
system from Jerusalem to Mecca). The Qur’an mentions the Cartesian
axis system in verses 2:213, 4:68, 4:175, 6:153, and 6:161 (Islam is
a straight path).

12. Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686–1736), German inventor of the
first Fahrenheit thermometer.

In many verses, the Qur’an talks about heat in Islamic Hell and
coolness in Islamic Paradise. Allah measures heat using Islamic
thermometers. Example of a few such verses are: 16:81 (Allah made
garments for protection from heat), 35:21 (shade and sun’s heat are
not the same), 52:16 (Allah will force the unbelievers to taste the
heat of hell fire) and 76:13 (in Islamic Paradise there will be no
excessive heat of the sun; no excessive cold of the moon).

13. Michael Faraday (1791–1867), English chemist and
physicist. He invented the process of electrolysis.

The Qur’an talks of psychoanalysis (Islamic mind analysis) in
verse 6:135 (Muhammad is to let the unbelievers mind their own
businesses; Allah will take care of them). In verse 4:81, Allah
mentions psychoanalysis (Allah records the innermost feelings of the
hypocrites).

15. Robert Goddard (1882–1945), US rocket scientist. He
invented the liquid fuelled rocket.

The Qur’an mentions rocket fuel in verse 72:15 (non Muslim men
and jinns are fuels for hellfire).

There are many verses in the Qur’an which solidly prove that
Allah communicates with His messengers with radio. Examples of a few
verses expounding the theory of radio are: 2:35 (Allah never speaks
directly), 6:121 (Muhammad receives Allah’s revelations) and 20:114
(Gabriel brings revelation, Gabriel is invisible).

17. James Clerk Maxwell (1831–1879), Scottish physicist. He
developed the electro magnetic theory.

Allah considers steam as smoke. He mentions the theory of steam
engine in verse 41:11 (the sky was a smoke or steam, Allah joined
the steam and the earth).

19. Orville (1871–1948) and Wilbur Right (1867–1912), US
inventors of aeroplane.

The Qur’an provides the theory of flying (angels with wings) in
verse 35:1. In verse 16:79, Allah provides the theory of aircraft
design (Allah holds the birds in air), jet-engine in verses 22:31
(birds snatch up) and 24:41 (flying birds glorify Allah) and about
jet-fuel in 67:19 (birds get their sustenance from Allah).

20. Henry Bessemer, English engineer. He developed the
method to convert iron into steel.

The entire sura 57 (Hadid: Iron) deals with conversion of iron.
Besides, verses 17:51, 18:96, 18:98 and 22:21 also mention using
Islamic iron for various purposes, including punishing the infidels.

21. Edwin Hubble, American scientist. He developed the
theory of expanding universe.

In verse 21:30, the Qur’an unerringly presents the theory of
expanding universe (separation of the heavens and the earth).

The Qur’an mentions incandescent lamp in verses 24:35 (light from
olive tree) and 25:61 (Allah put a lamp). The Qur’an talks of
gramophone in verse 4:164 (Allah played a recorded message to Moses)
and in verse 21:79, Allah mentions about the gramophone record
played by prophet Dawud (recitation of Zabur).

In verses 11:11, 12:2 and 16:103, Allah talks about printing the
Qur’an in clear Arabic. The Qur’an mentions about movable blocks in
7:145 (Allah wrote His Laws in a tablet and gave that to Moses);
Allah talks about the printed Qur’an in verse 6:7 (even when Allah
sends His message written in paper, the unbelievers will consider
that as sorcery).

24. Vladimir K. Zworykin (1889–1982), US inventor. He
demonstrated the first modern television.

The Qur’an narrates the television of Allah in verse in 11:37
(Noah constructed the ark right in front of Allah’s vision and
instruction); verse 12:5 mentions television (prophet Yusuf had a
vision of Allah); and verse 17:60 says Allah broadcast a television
program to Muhammad (Allah showed Muhammad a vision of ordeal of
mankind).

25. An unknown Chinese inventor (AD 900) invented the
gun-powder.

The Qur’an provides the theory of gun-powder in verse 54:23
(mighty blast).

26. Samuel F. B. Morse (1791–1872), US scientist and
inventor of telegraph. He developed the Morse code.

In verse 4:16, Allah talks about codified law (sharia code).
Verse 2:38 says that Allah sent telegraphic messages to Adam when
Adam landed on the earth.

28. Enrico Fermi (1901–1954), US physicist and developer of
the first fission atomic reactor.

The Quran’s similitude of an atomic reactor is the sura
exclusively written for the sun (sura 91: the Sun, ash Shams),
because scientists agree that the sun is nothing but a huge atomic
reactor. The Qur’an also mentions the principle of modern atomic
reactor in verses 99:7–8 (atom) and 54:23 (mighty blast).

29. William C. Roentgen (1845–1923), German scientist, who
discovered the X ray.